The Mind's Eye (episode)
En route to Risa, Geordi La Forge is taken prisoner on a Romulan ship and mentally conditioned to assassinate a Klingon governor in order to implicate the Federation as enemies of the Empire and unbalance relations between the two governments. Summary Teaser While on his way to Risa for a cybernetics symposium and shore leave, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge's shuttlecraft is captured by a Romulan warbird. Act One :"Captain's log, stardate 44891.6. The ''Enterprise has been ordered to accompany a special emissary from the Klingon High Council to the Kriosian system, where one of their colonies is fighting for independence." The escorts Klingon Ambassador Kell to the Kriosian system, where a Klingon colony is fighting for its independence. The governor of Krios, Vagh, has accused the Federation of providing aid and weapons to the Kriosian rebels. Kell has been sent to examine the governor's evidence, and Kell personally requested Captain Picard's help. Aboard the warbird, Geordi is subjected to intense mental conditioning. While an impostor is sent to Risa in his place, La Forge is fed several horrific images directly into his visual cortex, via his VISOR implants. Taibak, the Romulan officer controlling the conditioning explains to his Commander (Sela, whose face is not seen but whose voice is heard from the darkness) that La Forge's pre-existing implants will make their tampering untraceable. In a holographic simulation, Geordi is made to kill Chief Miles O'Brien. Act Two On Krios, Picard steadfastly denies Governor Vagh's accusations, but Vagh produces a phaser rifle taken from a rebel stronghold that appears to be Federation issue. When La Forge returns, he has no memory of the Romulan abduction. After his return, however, Data notices that the ship's sensors are detecting sporadic E-band emissions. Data tries to pinpoint the source of the emissions, and also works with La Forge to analyze the weapons seized from the Klingon rebels. Through a careful examination of the captured phaser rifle, La Forge and Data detect subtle differences between it a Federation-issue weapon. Upon further inspection, they determine that the weapon had been charged with a power source calibrated in the terahertz range. Data comments that 327 known species use that range, and it will take several hours to make an exact match. Geordi says they can narrow down their search, just by asking themselves who stands to benefit from driving a wedge between the Federation and the Klingons. In Governor Vagh's office, Geordi presents the rifle as a Romulan decoy; physically, it is a perfect replica, but since they had to charge it with their own energy sources, they left traces behind. Governor Vagh remains skeptical, since Krios holds no strategic interest for the Romulans, but Picard points out that they certainly have an interest in sowing distrust between the Federation and the Klingons. Vagh still wants his own people to verify the findings. While in the office, Geordi's VISOR receives another distinctive E-band transmission. On the bridge Riker and Data detect another E-band emission, although this one is much larger than the first indicating that it could not have originated in the same location. Riker observes that if it has changed intensity, than it cannot possibly be a Protostar, which they had previously thought to be a possibility. He then asks Data if there is any known instances of the Romulans using E band for communications. Data is not aware of any. They decide to try to track the signal by reconfiguring the primary sensor array to narrow its focus to E-band emissions to possibly calculate a directional vector should there be any further emissions. Acting under mind control again, La Forge beams a crate of weapons from the ''Enterprise to the surface, which is intercepted by the Klingons. Furiously, Vagh contacts Picard and tells him to maintain his orbit until further notice. To back up the threat, a Klingon attack cruiser and two Birds-of-Prey decloak and face off with Enterprise. Act Three An investigation ensues, and Data and La Forge determine that an unauthorized transport was sent from cargo bay 4, but the memory chips in the computer were erased to hide the offender's identity and the power was routed through the replicator pathways to attempt to conceal its origin. As tensions between the Klingon colony and the Enterprise continue to mount, a Klingon attack cruiser and two Klingon Birds-of-Prey uncloak and surround the Enterprise, threatening to attack if the ship attempts to leave orbit. Ambassador Kell offers to beam down to Krios to force Vagh to come aboard the Enterprise to witness the ongoing investigation, in an attempt to convince him of the Federation's innocence. However, before Kell leaves, La Forge visits him in his quarters, where it is revealed that Kell is conspiring with the Romulans, and that Kell has been implanting commands within La Forge's mind, including the command to transport the weapons to the Klingon rebels. Kell instructs La Forge to murder Governor Vagh when he arrives from Krios and claim he acted on behalf of Starfleet in support of the colony's independence. Act Four Kell's transmission to La Forge is detected by the Enterprise s sensors. Following a mounting trail of evidence, Data finds that the memory chips in La Forge's shuttlecraft have been replicated by Romulans, and that the hull has been subjected to stresses consistent with a tractor beam. He orders Lt. Worf to take La Forge into custody immediately. Seeing La Forge approaching Picard and Vagh in the cargo bay, Worf jumps down, an action taken as threatening by Vagh's bodyguards. They seize him, and Worf struggles to get free, while the commotion draws everyone's attention away from Geordi. Worf shouts a warning, Picard spins around and grabs Geordi's hand just as he fires a hand phaser at Vagh. Vagh accuses the Federation of a murder plot. Picard is temporarily at a loss, at which point Data intervenes and reveals that La Forge has been acting under Romulan control, explaining the E-band transmissions that have preceded each suspicious act aboard the Enterprise, which were transmitted directly to Geordi's brain through his VISOR. Kell, anxious to divert suspicion away from himself, asks whether a cloaked Romulan ship could be the source of the signals. Data says no, the signals would have to have been transmitted in close proximity to Geordi, by a Romulan agent. As to who that agent is, Data reveals that only two people were close to Geordi at all three times when a signal was recorded: Picard and Kell. All eyes turn to Kell (Vagh doesn't even glance at Picard), as Data continues ominously that the Romulan agent must be hiding an E-band transmitter on his person. Kell blusters that, as a representative of the High Council, he will not consent to be body-searched, but Vagh has his bodyguards place the ambassador under arrest. Kell formally requests asylum aboard the Enterprise. Picard coolly rejoins that he will be happy to grant asylum - after Kell is absolved of any crime. Vagh signals the planet, and the Klingons are beamed away. La Forge later undergoes counseling with ship's counselor Deanna Troi, where he begins to realize that his memories of his trip to Risa are false. Troi promises to work with him to restore his memory, and she begins by asking La Forge what happened after he saw the Romulan ship – a question that leaves La Forge stumped, and worried as the full horror of the violation against him begins to sink in. Memorable Quotes "List the resonances of the sub-quantum states associated with transitional relativity..." "That's easy!" "... in alphabetical order." : - The shuttlecraft computer and La Forge, while playing word games to pass the time "Sequence 0-1-0. Maximum power to the shields. Kill the music." : - La Forge, upon seeing the Romulan Warbird "You are preparing to grant them independence?" "Well, perhaps. Conquer them again later, if we wish." : - Captain Picard and Ambassador Kell "Welcome, Mr. La Forge. We've waited a long time to meet you." "I can tell you've gone to a lot of trouble!" : - Taibak and La Forge (strapped to a chair) "Governor, you speak as if we were enemies, not allies." "And you speak the lies of a tah-keck!" "Vagh guy'cha '''b'aka!" "Gentlemen!" "You swear well, Picard. You must have Klingon blood in your veins." : - '''Picard, Governor Vagh and Kell "One could speculate that the E-band was being used as some form of covert communication." "We need more than speculation, Mr. Data. We need to know who what where when and why. Or we may be going to war." : - Data and Riker - "I saw no evidence of Romulans! We just witnessed him acting very much alone!" "No, sir. You did not." : - Kell and Data "I believe that Commander La Forge was conditioned by Romulans. A technique referred to historically - and somewhat inaccurately - as 'brainwashing'." : - Data "But to what end? Why would the Romulans want to kill me?" "The Romulans have always wanted to destroy the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons. If Mr. La Forge killed you, Governor, I think you would agree, they might have succeeded." : - Vagh and Picard Background Information Story and production *"The Mind's Eye" was based upon the classic film, . First time director David Livingston, a fan of the film, unsuccessfully attempted to get an actor from the film to appear as an extra on this episode. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion) Instead, Livingston introduced an homage shot in the scene where a brain-washed Geordi kills a holodeck version of O'Brien. (Trek: The Unauthorized Behind-The-Scenes Story of The Next Generation) * Livingston recalled, "I couldn't ask for a better episode to do as my first directorial assignment, since it didn't have scenes with eleven people in the observation lounge talking for ten minutes. Every scene had something going on, some action. They were all short scenes and I could do some weird stuff and was thrilled." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages) * First UK airdate: 30 November 1994 Continuity *Although remaining unseen here, Kriosians appear in the Season Five episode and the Star Trek: Enterprise episode . *Larry Dobkin, who plays Klingon Ambassador Kell, directed [[TOS|the Original Series]] episode . *Ambassador Kell wears the same sash that the Klingon ambassador wore in and . *The Romulan and Klingon transporter effects of the 24th century are seen for the first time in this episode. *The female Romulan commander obscured by shadows during La Forge's "conditioning" is portrayed by Debra Dilley, a photo double for Denise Crosby who only provided the voice, and went uncredited. This is the first appearance of Sela though her actual identity is obscured in this episode. *John Fleck would later appear as another Romulan, Koval, in the ''Deep Space Nine'' episode . *This is the second appearance of the tactical laboratory after , though it looks completely different here. *Krios in this episode looks different from Krios as seen in . Here, Krios is blue; in the latter episode it is green. A reference to Krios Prime was included in for the purpose of suggesting that the blue and green "Krios"es were two different planets. *The map of the region surrounding Krios that Worf and Kell look at in the tactical lab was later slightly modified and re-used as a map of the Typhon Expanse. *The matte painting used for the surface of Krios is a re-use of the painting originally created for . The painting was extensively "Klingonified" for this appearance. *The footage of the three Klingon warships was re-used footage from the Season 4 episode . *The large shuttlebay set doubles as shuttlebay 2 and cargo bay 4 in this episode. *The master systems display in main engineering is seen in several close-ups. All inside gags (the hamster wheel, the duck, Nomad, a Porsche) were removed, however. Video and DVD releases *Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 49, . *As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition, under the "La Forge" section, . *UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.8, . *As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection. Links and references Starring * Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard * Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker Also starring * LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge * Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf * Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher * Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi * Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data Guest Stars * Larry Dobkin as Kell * John Fleck as Taibak * Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien * Edward Wiley as Vagh Co-Star * Majel Barrett as Computer Voice Uncredited Co-Stars ]] * Aikins as the La Forge double * Joe Bauman as Garvey * Brand as a Klingon guard * Chuck Borden as a Klingon guard * Carl David Burks as Russell * Cameron as Kellogg * Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae * Denise Crosby as Sela (voice) * B.J. Davis as a Klingon guard * Debra Dilley as Sela (photo double) * Elliot Durant III as an operations division ensign * Keith Gearhart as a science division officer * Grace Harrell as Ten Forward waitress * Gary Hunter as a Romulan guard * Randy James as Ensign Jones * Mark Lentry as a science division lieutenant * Michael Moorhead as a science division ensign * Keith Rayve as a command division ensign * Robinson as a Klingon guard * Bill E. Rogers as an operations division officer * Richard Sarstedt as a command division ensign * Georgina Shore as Van Mayter * Leatrim Stang as a Romulan guard * Noriko Suzuki as an operations division officer * Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace Stunt double * Pat McGroarty as stunt double for Colm Meaney Stand-ins * Brett as stand-in for LeVar Burton * Randy James as stand-in for Colm Meaney * Nora Leonhardt as stand-in for Marina Sirtis * Tim McCormack as stand-in for Brent Spiner * Lorine Mendell as stand-in for Gates McFadden * Richard Sarstedt as stand-in for Jonathan Frakes * Dennis Tracy as stand-in for Patrick Stewart * James Washington as stand-in for Michael Dorn References actinide; aft nacelle associate; Andorians; Andorian waiter; ambassador; arboretum; artificial intelligence; authorization code; auxiliary replicator system; beam control assembly; bird; brainwave pattern; brainwashing; blood vessel; Cardassian freighter; cargo bay; cargo transporter; chess; chocolate; colony; Costa; ; delta-compressed wavelength spectrum; diagnostic; discharge crystal; discommendation; disruptor; DNA; Duras, son of Ja'rod; E-band; E-band transmitter; Earth; Egg, The; EM emission; emission aperture; energy cell; evasive maneuvers; Ferengi freighter; Klingon food; forced pulse; forensic team; forward saucer associative; galvanic skin response; governor; terahertz; holoprogram; humor; Ikalian asteroid belt; insomnia; isolinear chip; isolinear storage assembly; joke; Jonek; megajoule; Kanarian; Klingons; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; Klingon Empire; Klingon High Council; Klingon language; Krios; Kriosians; Kriosian system; Latin music; life support; neural implant; O'Brien, Keiko; Onizuka; pattern buffer; phase transition coil; phaser rifle; phaser type-1; planetary sensor array; plasma; political asylum; prefire chamber; primary plasma system; priority one; protostar; rapid nadion pulse; recreation; Red Torian; Risa; Risa Control; Romulans; Romulan disruptor; safety interlock; sector; security chief; sensor array; Spanish guitar; Shuttlepod 07; somnetic inducer; spring; Starbase 36; structural integrity; subquantum state; Symphony Number Six; taHqeq; tactical laboratory; tactical officer; Teldarian cruiser; thruster; tractor beam; Treaty of Alliance; tree; transitional relativity; transporter; VISOR; visual cortex; ; waiter Other references Aldebaran; Alfa 177; Alpha Carinae; Alpha Centauri; Alpha Majoris; Altair VI; Andor; Ariannus; Arret; Babel; Benecia; Berengaria VII; Beta Aurigae; Beta Geminorum; Beta Lyrae; Beta Niobe; Beta Portolan; Camus II; Canopus III; Capella; Daran V; Delta Vega; Deneb; Ekos; Eminiar; Fabrina; First Federation; Gamma Canaris N; Gamma Trianguli; Holberg 917G; Ingraham B; Janus VI; Kling; Kzin; Lactra VII; Makus III; Marcus XII; Marnak IV; Memory Alpha; Mudd; Omega IV; Omega Cygni; Organia; Orion; Pallas 14; Phylos; Pollux IV; Psi 2000; Pyris VII; Regulus; Remus; Rigel; Romulan Neutral Zone; Romulus; Sarpeid; Sirius; Sol; Talos; Tau Ceti; Theta III; Tholian Assembly; tricorder; turbolift; Vulcan; Zeon |next= }} de:Verräterische Signale es:The Mind's Eye fr:The Mind's Eye ja:TNG:裏切りの序曲 nl:The Mind's Eye pl:The Mind's Eye Mind's Eye, The